1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to livestock feeders and transport vehicles. In particular, the present invention relates to portable livestock feeders and transport vehicles having a bottom dumping capability and an adjustable width.
2. Description of the Related Art
Portable livestock feeders having a feed trough and a rack positioned above the feed trough are known in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,258,663 issued to Schoessow, U.S. Pat. No. 5,345,895 issued to Stevens et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,595,140 issued to Charboneau, all disclose portable livestock feeders with feed troughs supported by front and rear sets of wheels, and a trailer hitch at the front end for towing the feeder. These conventional livestock feeders also include a rack positioned above the feed troughs to hold hay and other rough feed above the troughs, while allowing animals to access the feed by poking their heads between the bars of the rack.
As these conventional portable livestock feeders are used, feed and waste materials tend to accumulate in the bottom of the troughs and need to be cleaned out periodically. This requires the operator to either scoop out the troughs by hand using a pitch fork or shovel, or to use a loader tractor to tip the feeder completely over to dump the contents.
Another problem with these conventional livestock feeders is that they have a fixed width and are not adjustable to accommodate both young animals (e.g., calves) and full grown animals (e.g., cows). Therefore, the purchaser often must decide between different sizes of feeders depending on whether the feeder will be used primarily for young animals or full grown animals. For example, a six-foot wide feeder might be a more appropriate size for someone who will be feeding calves, while a seven-foot wide feeder might be more appropriate for feeding cows.
There is a need in the industry for an improved portable livestock feeder that overcomes the disadvantages of the conventional livestock feeders described above.